Leftists seem to continually be on the hunt for political opponents who hold racist views. Two very recent incidents lend credence to that claim.

Following the Bundy Ranch standoff, family patriarch Cliven Bundy’s offhand remarks were taken out of context by media outlets, including the New York Times, in an effort to suggest the embattled rancher is a bigot. Just days later, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million for expressing racist views during a casual conversation recorded by another party.

Despite a record of donations in support of Democrat candidates, many leftist commentators made an effort to describe Sterling as a “registered Republican.”

Given the left’s penchant for exposing – or manufacturing – racism among Republicans, one wonders how these activists will react to the recent scandal surrounding Belleville, N.J. mayoral candidate Marie Strumolo Burke.

Reports indicate the voice caught delivering a profane rant against blacks in a voicemail message from last year belongs to the Democrat councilwoman.

Sam Papa, who served as the town’s planning board chairman, left the message for Councilman Kevin Kennedy. As he spoke about proposed changes to the tax code, a woman’s expletive-infused commentary is heard in the background.

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“This is terrible,” the woman stated. “This is terrible. This is gonna be a f—king n—ger town.”

Though Burke apparently denies it is her making the comments, fellow council members are apparently not convinced. The panel sent a request to the Democrat National Committee to censure her amid growing controversy.

Her mayoral opponent, incumbent Raymond Kimble, said he was “disturbed” by the voicemail recording.

While local sentiment seems to be clearly against her, the reaction – or lack thereof – by leftists on a national scale will be telling. It is easy for race-obsessed activists to castigate conservatives for making politically incorrect statements. When the offending party does not fit their preconceived ideology, however, the silence can be deafening.